Paul Reiser says he still doesn’t know if Dr. Owens on ‘Stranger Things’ is good or bad

Paul Reiser knows that his advice for fellow actors is contradictory.

“Say yes to everything, except for the things you have to say no to,” Reiser tells Business Insider.

At first blush, his recommendation is baffling — but maybe he’s onto something. After all, this is the actor who went from doing stand-up comedy at New York clubs to starring in films like “Diner” and “Beverly Hills Cop,” and has been steadily racking up TV and movie roles since the ’80s.”

Still, not every project Reiser has ever done has been a slam dunk like “Aliens,” “Mad About You,” or “Stranger Things.” But the actor says that’s part of the process: You have to say yes to a lot to learn what to say no to in the future.

“There are career decisions, especially when you’re young, you say yes to because you’ll gain something from it,” Reiser says. “But I think as I’ve gotten older, saying no is just as important.”

One role he couldn’t say no to was playing a bowling commentator named Angelo Powers in “The Gutter,’ written and directed by siblings Yassir and Isaiah Lester.

The movie centers on Walt (Shameik Moore), a man who uses his unexpectedly sharp bowling skills to turn pro in the hopes of winning enough prize money to save a run-down local joint called AlleyCatz. As Walt gains notoriety on the bowling circuit, Angelo shares his tasteless jokes and comments through a segment called “Bowl Lives Matter.”

“It’s a very rare thing that I respond quickly and positively,” Reiser says of reading the movie’s script. “I usually find some reason to not do something.”

Reiser’s character feeds into the film’s bold, boundary-pushing humor, and the actor relished playing a “clueless low-rent sportscaster.”

“The Gutter” is brash by design, and Reiser says that’s the film’s strength.

“It’s not staying within the bounds,” he says. “It’s offbeat and it’s just some colors that you don’t always see and characters that you don’t always see. And that’s part of what appealed to me. It felt very fresh and different.”

For the latest interview in Business Insider’s “Role Play” series, Reiser reflects on the success of “Mad About You,” how his frugality ended up being one of his best business moves, and the one thing that baffles him about “Stranger Things” fans.

On why playing Dr. Owens in ‘Stranger Things’ was an ‘acting challenge’

Burke in “Aliens” is one of your most notable performances. At the time, you were mostly known for standup and roles in “Diner” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” Did being in “Aliens” lead you to be considered for more antagonist roles after that?

I think it did open it up a bit because it was such a popular movie. I dunno about being an antagonist. Do I play the antagonist? I don’t know. I like doing that. I mean, it’s fun to be a sort of prickly guy.

One of the things that was fun with “Stranger Things” was it was never clear to me, or maybe it wasn’t even clear to the creators, if I was a good guy or a bad guy. And I thought, well, that’s a really interesting thing to play if you yourself don’t know where you’re going with this. I thought it was an interesting acting challenge. He might be a bad guy, but he also might not be. Let’s see.

You’re a seasoned actor, and in “Stranger Things,” you get to work alongside younger up-and-coming talents. Did you have any preconceived notions about what it would be like to work with actors like Millie Bobby Brown and the younger generation? What was your experience like on set?

It was almost the opposite. I had seen the first season and saw how good it was and how great everybody there was. So I felt like the new kid at school who doesn’t know where to sit at lunch. I thought, I’m coming into their party.

They didn’t seem like kids. They were just all really sweet, young, nice people and David Harbour and Winona [Ryder]. So everybody was very embracing and welcoming, which is not always the case. Not that people are not nice, but sometimes people just don’t have the time to make the new person feel welcome.

I was always aware of that on “Mad About You” when we had guest stars. It’s sometimes off-putting or challenging for somebody to come into a well-oiled machine and feel comfortable, so we would all try to make sure that our guests felt welcome. So it was nice to be on the receiving end of that on “Stranger Things.”

So no, I didn’t feel intimidated, but I was relieved to see it’s a very dark world, but it’s a very light, fun set. They were just all really funny, goofy kids. And they’re now all 47, so they’re very different!

It was funny to go back, because it wouldn’t be a year, it’d be like a year and a half between seasons. And those were very growth-spurt years. And I was like, “Whoa, that little kid is now taller than me. What happened here?” It was a very fun, familial kind of feel.

Netflix announced that the last season of “Stranger Things” is coming out next year. Your character Dr. Owens’ fate was a little ambiguous last season, but people think he survives. Any update on whether you’ll be returning?

I’m not allowed to talk because they have my home address and they will hunt you down. No, they’re like me, very secretive, and so I honor that. I’m not going to say nothing.

You know, it’s funny to me. I remember my first experience when I was on season two. It’s a very complicated production, so the post-production took a long time. I had never experienced this thing where people would ask me, “When is it coming out? When is it coming out?” They couldn’t wait because they were clamoring for season two.

And then when it came out, finally this big huge premiere, and it was a global event. And then the next day people go, “All right, we watched all the episodes. What’s next?” Boy, they’re consuming it too quickly.

We just spent all day making this meal. Chew your food slowly, don’t watch it all in one sitting because it’s consumed so quickly. Everybody was like, “Now what do we do?” Well, I didn’t tell you to watch ’em all, did I?

You’ve also guest-starred on “The Boys.” Back in June, you said that there were talks about you returning for the fifth and final season, and I think season five should begin filming soon. Any update on where those talks landed?

Have I seen any scripts? No, but they’ve indicated that I will be part of it somehow, so you’ll know as soon as I know. I’m not being cautious, I actually don’t know.

On his big payday for the final season of ‘Mad About You’ and his smartest business move

Going back to “Mad About You,” by the end of that show, you and Helen Hunt were reportedly paid $1 million per episode, which was really rare for that time. How did being on such a successful show and earning a steadily growing paycheck influence how you viewed your career?

It’s a very weird thing to be on a successful TV show. You really enter a new world because you’re suddenly, seemingly overnight, you’re in people’s living rooms on a regular basis. And then I know as a viewer, you watch something long enough, you feel close to these people. So I definitely felt the impact of going from basically zero to a hundred. Zero to, whoa, we’re on a hit show that’s in magazines and people are watching.

But the reality is, I don’t know if it changes your life because you’re so busy in the moment, we’re so busy making, it. And especially for me, and then Helen ultimately too, was the producing part of it and directing. And so it was a very labor-intensive thing. There wasn’t a lot of time to go out and see the world or do stuff until we put it to bed.

What’s the best business move that you’ve made in your 30-plus years in the industry?

I wish I had something to point to. I don’t know. I’ve never had outrageous hobbies or expensive passions. So maybe being accidentally frugal was a smart move.

I don’t really put a lot of thought into it. I have people that advise me and say, “Do this, don’t do that.” I’m like, OK. And I usually get turned off if somebody goes, “Yeah, it was a great investment opportunity.” My brain can only handle so much information, so I’m going to cut that stuff out.

On learning the power of saying no sometimes

What advice would you give yourself when you were starting out as an actor, given what you know now?

Even dopey movies or dopey shows yield some fruit. I can look back and go, “Boy, that was a stinky show. That was a stinky movie.” But sometimes even knowing that was helpful. It informs your decision-making next time. Like, all right, I’m going to be a little bit more discerning. Or the experience isn’t great, but you meet a great producer or you meet an acting buddy who becomes a friend.

I did this movie, “The Problem With People,” which is out now on digital, and we screened it at USC film school. And I was actually skeptical. I was thinking, it stars me and Colm Meaney, two guys in their 60s, and I don’t know how college kids are going to respond.

They really dug the film and they were asking questions and they said, “What advice can you give us?” The only thing that I came up with that I really believe to be true is to say yes to everything. If somebody says, “We’re making a small little movie and there’s no money, but you’ll get lunch and we just need you to move tables,” just do it. Because you’ll learn something, you’ll meet people and you’ll start focusing in on what you don’t like, what you’re inclined to do.

If you want to be an actor, but somebody said, “Can you just be a part of this in some other capacity?” it’s almost invariably going to be helpful to be doing something, to be part of a community.

So that’s what I would probably tell myself. But there are things that I have said no to that I’m glad I said no to. But again, you sort of learn from experience like, “Ooh, I don’t want to do that again.”

What are some things that you’re glad you said no to?

I don’t remember what I said no to. One thing that I wish I had said no to was I did a movie a couple of years ago and I had a really wonderful trip planned with my wife and we were going to go to Italy and meet some friends. And last minute I got offered this role, but I said, “I don’t want to cancel. I have this really nice trip planned and I’m really looking forward to it.”And I got persuaded by agents. It’s like, “This is a really good film, really good people, and it’ll be good for you.”

Next time I learned. I was like, “I’m not passing up on something.” Family time becomes important. This film was lovely and it was fine, but I didn’t get that experience that I was looking forward to.

So yes, there are career decisions, especially when you’re young, you say yes to because you’ll gain something from it. But I think as I’ve gotten older, saying no is just as important.

In that case, my lesson was that nobody’s ever going to get to the end of life and go, “I went to Italy too many times.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

“The Gutter” is now in theaters and on demand.